Malacañang on Wednesday justified President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s stance on four reform measures including the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill, even as some legislators pressed for immediate action.
During a Palace briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro dismissed criticism of certain lawmakers who questioned the President’s sincerity in pushing the passage of the bills after merely requesting Congress to prioritize them rather than issue an urgent certification.
“The President’s message is clear. The four legislative measures are priority bills,” Castro stressed.
“The Constitution also clearly states when certification as urgent is necessary — it is when there is a public calamity or emergency,” she explained.
Castro added that the President’s choice to endorse the measures to Congress without an urgent tag remained consistent with constitutional procedure and did not diminish the administration’s commitment to political and governance reforms.
Castro also referred to shifting public sentiments and increasing demand for accountability as key factors behind the Palace’s push.
She said the changing political environment, instances of abuse of power, and public frustration over corruption motivated the President to seek faster action from Congress.
“That political landscape has become distorted,” she noted.
“The public demands a fairer system. What the President wants is for the power of the people to be strengthened, not concentrated in a few abusive politicians,” Castro added.
She also said the proposed measures aimed to give voters the ability to choose leaders based on merit rather than family identity or entrenched political power.
During a meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) on Tuesday, President Marcos identified four reform measures as priorities, namely the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill, the Independent People’s Commission Act, the Party-list System Reform Act, and the Citizens Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability Act.
